Once upon a time it was the Sicilian, or Russian, or Japanese, or Chinese mob that were some of the biggest sources of funding for corrupt government officials (incidentally, most of them). After all, the government is smart enough to realize that it is more lucrative to "cooperate" with the world's biggest criminal syndicates than to wipe them out and cut off a major source of funding (of course, when it comes to populist optics and reelection, there is always an easy low-level perp walk every week or so to keep the peasants in place... and Diebold). So while the underlying symbiotic principle between the government and the world's biggest criminal enterprise remains the same, the counterparty has changed.

So who, in simple numeric terms, is the world's biggest organized crime syndicate?

The answer, courtesy of a new report by the Boston Consulting Group, which shows the transfer of some $178 billion in litigation costs into the pockets of government appartchiks in the past 6 years, is clear.

The new era in banking is characterized by a rigorous enforcement of sanctions. As of September 2014, the cumulative litigation costs for EU and U.S. banks since the onset of the financial crisis has reached some $178 billion.

Most of the costs originated with U.S. regulators' mortgage-related claims, and the remaining litigation costs are divided among claims focused on misselling, violations of U.S. sanctions, improper conduct, market manipulation, tax evasion and misrepresentation. Litigation costs of banks headquartered in the U.S. leapt higher in 2011, driven by mortgage-related claims, which continue to dominate. EU bank costs were kick-started in 2012, beginning with redress payments for misselling payment protection insurance in the UK, followed by market manipulation issues-for example, those related to the London Interbank Offered Rate scandal-as well as improper-conduct litigation, such as anti-money-laundering cases.

The current wave of litigation cases has not yet been settled, and potential-still hidden-litigation risks are substantial. Meanwhile, regulators have shifted their view toward more unified and sanction-based supervision, adopting regulations with a stronger focus on business conduct.

All of these developments reflect the persistent character and future burden of litigation-a new cost of doing business.

Sure enough: when one is a criminal syndicate, the largest in world history, paying litigation kickbacks in the hundreds of billions to the government is just the cost of "doing business."

And here is the absolute punchline: the Sicilian, or Russian, or Japanese, or Chinese, or any other mob, they all had one or more members thrown in jail for good measure.

There are three major scams. Historically, war was first, then religion as a tool to create war, then money creation as a tool to coerce people into war. Today, the order of their effectiveness is money creation, religion and war. Each is headquartered in a city state, with laws unto itself and beholden to no tax system. Money creation = Inner City of London; Religion = Vatican; War = Washington DC. Each also is host to an obelisk, because you know the triangle club loves Egyptian reference. Why do you suppose that is?

Similar to the deck of cards with the Iraqi hierarchy, There should be a deck of " Top 52 Scum Bag Elites" . This may require additional decks of cards. It is an outrage that the corrupt, key political players, who made the world what it is today, are scot-free and thriving for the most part. Where is the accountability? How can justice be served and rightful responsibility become known?

Red arrow. Can't see the whole thing because of Tylers cunty right margin follows me wherever I scroll. Red arrow me if you like, I'm getting tired of not being able to see Williams' fine works of art because of permamargins.

Edited to add: Same thing for any videos. Cant watch them because of the immovable movable margin on the right. These issues are so 1990's, wtf Durden?

a lot more entertaining at least. What's really sad is fines will be recorded as losses and litigation costs are written off the tax liabilities, hell they could come out ahead with our tax system as it is,

Hmm..shortly after the Anglo-American takeover of the World's Largest Opium Producer, Americans were offered a choice of Presidents between Skull & Bones A vs Skull & Bones B. Skull & Bones is a Yale secret society founded and funded by the Russell Trust, whose family fortune was made running drugs and weapons during the Opium Wars.

After the invasion, opium production leapt over a 100-fold and exports of raw Opium increased likewise. Significantly the large amounts of foreign aid have upgraded Afghan roads, distribution systems, and industrial processing plants, so that "value-added" Heroin can be manufactured and exported on an industrial scale, somehow occurring under the blanket airspace surveillance of the DOD, ISAF, and CIA.

I'm sure it's all a coincidence.

And certainly not a $4,000,000,000,000 slush fund enriching political elites, drug and weapons traffickers, and money laundering TBTF banks.